Searching a sea of sedans for that empty spot in the back of the lot, then walking the stretch to the store entrance makes idling an appealing option. After all, finding a parking spot for a two-minute trip into the convenience store is anything but convenient. It takes keen eyes and a learned driver to find that close parking spot. But to park somewhere without even restarting the car — that’s an art.
Unfortunately, it’s not an art many environmentalists or even mechanics consider particularly “beautiful.”
According to the California Energy Commission, it’s bad for your engine. Research indicates excessive idling can damage the main components of the engine like cylinders and spark plugs.
But even more importantly, every two minutes of idling wastes about as much fuel as driving one mile up the road.
Coming from California, I realize gas down in these parts is significantly cheaper than that in my home town (by about 50 cents a gallon). But regardless, is that really any reason to waste?
We’ve heard so much about fossil fuels being irreplaceable and that we’re running out — and here we are wasting it in a parking lot.
Sure, one person leaving their massive pickup on for five minutes in front of Blake Hall may not seem like a huge deal, but consider this: The average large truck gets anywhere between 10 and 15 mpg. That means that for every five minutes the driver is idling, they waste 52 cents going nowhere.
But even 52 cents is nothing compared to the environmental and health impacts of toxic pollutants.
The CEC says idling is linked to increases in asthma, cancer and diseases of the heart and lung.
But it’s the environment that’s paying the real price.
According to the Department of Energy’s website, fueleconomy.gov, every gallon of gasoline burned produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, as tailpipe emissions mix with oxygen in the air.
And police cruisers might be the worst offenders. Equipped with many gadgets, LSUPD’s Sgt. Blake Tabor says he idles in his cruiser because much of the equipment requires power from the car.
The principle of car idling may exist for many reasons, but many are just a result of laziness.
Just turning off the engine and parking may be unappealing and unrealistic, so here are some other options to reduce your carbon emissions from GreenYour.com — an online guide to greener living:
Put your car in neutral when you do need to idle, which produces fewer emissions and is easier on your engine.
Shorten the warm up. Whether it’s fiery hot or freezing cold, cars only need about 30 seconds of idling to warm up before driving.
So for the rest of us, sans a police car or a super cool Batmobile, ending the idling is as easy as turning the key.
It’s also a wonderful place to start making a difference for the environment and a great way to start caring for your oversized shiny pet.
Priyanka Bhatia is a 19-year-old pre-veterinarian major and environmental management systems minor from San Jose, Calif. Follow her on Twitter@TDR_PBhatia.
 
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Contact Priyanka Bhatia at
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